Ezekiel28
New International Version
1The word of the Lord came to me:
2“Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.
3Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you?
4By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.
5By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud.
6“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god,
7I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor.
8They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas.
9Will you then say, “I am a god,” in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a mortal, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you.
10You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
11The word of the Lord came to me:
12“Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
14You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
15You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
16Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.
17Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.
19All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’”
20The word of the Lord came to me:
21“Son of man, set your face against Sidon; prophesy against her
22and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘I am against you, Sidon, and among you I will display my glory. You will know that I am the Lord, when I inflict punishment on you and within you am proved to be holy.
23I will send a plague upon you and make blood flow in your streets. The slain will fall within you, with the sword against you on every side. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
24“‘No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.
25“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.
26They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.’”
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ezekiel 28.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The sentence against the prince or king of Tyre. (1-19). The fall of Zidon. (20-23). The restoration of Israel. (24-26).
vv1-19
Ethbaal, or Ithobal, was the prince or king of Tyre; and being lifted up with excessive pride, he claimed Divine honours. Pride is peculiarly the sin of our fallen nature. Nor can any wisdom, except that which the Lord gives, lead to happiness in this world or in that which is to come. The haughty prince of Tyre thought he was able to protect his people by his own power, and considered himself as equal to the inhabitants of heaven. If it were possible to dwell in the garden of Eden, or even to enter heaven, no solid happiness could be enjoyed without a humble, holy, and spiritual mind. Especially all spiritual pride is of the devil. Those who indulge therein must expect to perish.
vv20-26
The Zidonians were borderers upon the land of Israel, and they might have learned to glorify the Lord; but, instead of that, they seduced Israel to the worship of their idols. War and pestilence are God's messengers; but he will be glorified in the restoring his people to their former safety and prosperity. God will cure them of their sins, and ease them of their troubles. This promise will at length fully come to pass in the heavenly Canaan: when all the saints shall be gathered together, every thing that offends shall be removed, all griefs and fears for ever banished. Happy, then, is the church of God, and every living member of it, though poor, afflicted, and despised; for the Lord will display his truth, power, and mercy, in the salvation and happiness of his redeemed people.
Key Words
דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
אָדָם: ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)
נָגִיד: a commander (as occupying the front), civil, military or religious; generally (abstractly, plural), honorable themes
צֹר: Tsor, a place in Palestine
אֲדֹנָי: the Lord (used as a proper name of God only)
לֵב: the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything
גָּבַהּ: to soar, i.e. be lofty; figuratively, to be haughty
אֵל: strength; as adjective, mighty; especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity)
Cross References
Ezekiel 28Antichrist's pride in claiming to sit as God in the temple mirrors the King of Tyre's self-deification.
Supported by JFB
Matches the king of Babylon's boast to exalt his throne above the stars of God.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Daniel's historic wisdom, celebrated throughout the East, used here as an ironic standard of comparison.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Imagery of Eden and the protective cherubim guards who keep the way of life.
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The list of nine precious stones matches the breastplate of the high priest.
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Parallel lament over a fallen majestic figure (Lucifer/Day Star) cast down for pride.
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Israel's hostile neighbors historically acted as pricking briars and thorns in their sides.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Herod Agrippa accepts divine honors, saying, 'the voice of a god,' and is instantly judged.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Daniel's public elevation in Babylon because of his God-given ability to reveal secrets.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Zechariah notes that Tyre and Sidon were indeed very wise, though physically ruined.
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Warning against setting one's heart upon riches when they increase, matching Tyre's sin.
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Direct contrast to the prince's initial claim of deity when facing executioners.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Eden as the standard of ideal beauty and peerless majesty in Ezekiel's descriptions.
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God declares He will be sanctified and glorified in those who come near Him.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Joshua warns that Canaanite remnants will become scourges in Israel's sides and thorns.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Nebuchadnezzar's proud boast of building great Babylon by his own power and majesty.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identifies the 'terrible of the nations' as the conquering Babylonian forces of Nebuchadnezzar.
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The uncircumcised slain by the sword lie in the depths of Sheol.
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Connects the King's initial perfection to his subsequent moral fall.
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God sanctifying His great name before the nations through judgments and restoration.
Supported by Matthew Henry